School History

KINGLAKE WEST STATE SCHOOL NO. 3255

Following a request from local families, a school was granted at Kinglake West on condition that the applicants provided a building.

The land was donated by the Snell family and the building was provided by the parents at their expense which amounted to 40 for materials.  John Burton and others provided voluntary labour to erect the building.

The Department agreed to provide iron for the rood, an iron chimney and fireplace, and the required furniture.  The Department also agreed to pay £1/- per year lease for the building.  

The materials provided for the school by the Department were 29 sheets of iron with spouting and spikes, two pupils'  desks and forms and one teacher's desk.  These were sent to the Whittlesea Railway Station and conveyed from there by the Kinglake West residents.

The land was later signed over to the Education Department but the building was actually owned by the Kinglake West community.  A Board of Trustees for the new school was set up by the residents of Kinglake West and the local residents elected five trustees to be responsible for the building.  The trustees handled the lease money paid by the Education Department and were responsible for maintenance and repairs to the building.  They also had the right to hire the building outside school hours to other community groups for meetings and entertainments.  This was source of funds for improvements and equipment for the school.

The trustees were Charles Rawsthorne, Thomas Mason, Alexander Campbell, I Pollard and Edwin Scott (Correspondent).  Charles Rawsthorne also represented the school on the Whittlesea Board of Advice which was responsible for several schools in the district.

The official opening of the school took place on 9th March 1896 with Miss Adeline Robb as the First Head Teacher.  It must have been a source of great satisfaction to the local families to see the school opened after so much hard work to get it established.